The Apple iWatch may include advanced biosensor features that perform functions such as blood monitoring, a 9to5Mac report indicates. Apple has recently hired two biomedical experts for the iWatch development team, lending support to the biosensor rumors, but there is no indication that the iWatch will be released anytime soon.
Apple Poaching Biomedical Experts
According to Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac, Apple has been recruiting biomedical technicians and body monitoring experts for some time. In recent months the company has poached two notable experts in the field, Nancy Dougherty and Ravi Narasimhan, from their respective positions at Sano Intelligence and Vital Connect. Dougherty’s work at Sano Intelligence involved the creation of a noninvasive dermal patch that monitors blood for glucose levels, electrolyte balance, and kidney function; Narasimhan worked with biosensors that measure skin temperature and respiratory rate, among other values.
Gurman posits that the iWatch is likely to be the beneficiary of the expertise of these recent team additions. It is possible that Apple could popularize medical sensor technology as they did portable MP3 players and tablets. “For a diabetic or any other user wanting to monitor their blood, this type of innovation would likely be considered incredible. More so if it is integrated into a mass-produced product…it could take medical sensor technology and health monitoring to mainstream levels,” Gurman asserts.
No Word on Apple iWatch Release Date
Unlike Samsung, which rushed to be the first of the large smartphone brands to bring a smartwatch to market, Apple appears to be taking its time. According to Business Insider, while there has been no word on when the Apple iWatch may be released, there is very little chance that it will happen in 2014. Business Insider speculates that Apple may choose to follow the same release pattern used with the iPhone and iPad, announcing the new product in January and releasing it in March or April, in which case early 2015 is a possibility.
Hypothetical iWatch Design Concepts Fuel Excitement
The release this month of Martin Hajek’s design concept for the Apple iWatch has fueled excitement for the smartwatch, even though the designs are purely hypothetical. “Nobody knows what the iWatch will look like,” Hajek says. “All I do know for sure is that I had little problem visualizing it,” he said of the theoretical designs. Hajek’s imaginings follow the same structure as the iPhone 5, with a premium iWatch and a cheaper iWatch C prototype.
Would you feel comfortable with a blood monitoring function in your watch?
Image courtesy of Flickr
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